Strikers' Anderson juggled class and soccer duties

Rookie forward had limited practice time while finishing his Criminology degree at Barry University

July 7, 2012|By Dave Brousseau, Sun Sentinel

FORT LAUDERDALE — The opportunity suited Mark Anderson just fine.

Pursuing a professional soccer career with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers sounded great for the rookie forward. Fitting in practice time around classes at Barry University wasn't quite ideal.

"It's been hard," Anderson said. "I've been trying to make as many practices as possible. I was able to make it only once a week getting out here and just turning out for the game.

"The boys give me a bit of stick for that, but it's just fun and games."

The native from Durham, England, signed his first professional soccer contract with the Strikers in March, while still enrolled at Barry. Until his graduation last week, Anderson's demanding class schedule toward a degree in Criminology prohibited him from practicing with the Strikers to just one day a week.

Anderson, 23, has a good shot of making his third consecutive start when the Strikers host Fresno Fuego in U.S. Open Cup game at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. He scored his second goal of the season in a 3-1 loss to Minnesota last Saturday.

"Last week he had his first full week of training," Strikers coach Daryl Shore said. "He's a good player and we need to try to incorporate him into the way we play. He'll get more and more minute as he becomes more comfortable and gains more match fitness."

Prior to graduation, any type of practice was limited for Anderson.

"I could practice here and obviously my coach wouldn't let me practice with Barry because if I got injured, I'm out," Anderson said. "So I was stuck in a Catch 22. I was just on my own, running and trying to get kicking around the ball when I could.

"It's still not the same training out there with the boys."

Anderson had a very successful college career while at Barry. In three seasons he scored 38 goals and had 28 assists in 58 games. In 2011 he was named the Division II National Soccer Player of the Year. As a freshman he led the nation in assists per game (0.786) and was seventh in the nation for points in a game.

Last year he represented Great Britain at the 2011 World University Games in Shenzhen, China. He score two goals, leading his team to the finals before losing to Japan 2-0.

Soccer has been part of his life since his youth. Because of his father's siding with Manchester United, Anderson is a big fan of the Red Devils.

"When I heard the news Man. City won the Premier League I was devastated," said Anderson. "I guess it was nice for someone else to get their hands on the trophy."

He first came to the United States in August 2008 when he enrolled at Barry.

"I could have played in England and slummed it around in leagues, but I got the opportunity to come to Miami and study at the same time," Anderson said. "That was the best thing I ever did and it has worked out and now I'm playing professional soccer South Florida. It's all good."